Damage assessment by the non-smooth contact dynamics method of the iconic crumbling of the clock tower in Amatrice after the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence

摘要

The dynamics of the medieval civic clock tower of Amatrice (Rieti-Italy) has been studied using the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamics (NSCD) method, implementing a discrete element numerical model in the LMGC90 code. Schematised as a system of rigid blocks, undergoing frictional sliding and plastic impacts, the tower has exhibited complex dynamics, because of the geometrical non-linearity and the non-smooth nature of the contact laws. Numerical simulations are performed with the aim of comparing the numerical result and the observed damages after the seismic sequence of the Central Italy earthquakes.